Bloodstained Love
by JoxhnXXIII
Summary: Rewrite of Love or Blood, at the request of original writer aliciathewolf45. The sequel to Blood Colored Rose. Amy and Shadow have been together for months now, and have been living happily. Now an old enemy from Shadow's past has emerged once more, and now Shadow & Amy and the rest of the group must vanquish this darkness once and for all. Shadamy, old and new pairings abound too.
1. Darkness From a True Abyss

**Alright then! So, as the summary of this story states, I've decided to undertake the rewriting of Love or Blood, the sequel to Blood Colored Rose, both of which were written by aliciathewolf45. I have read both stories, and very much enjoyed them both. This opportunity convinced me that it could reignite the spark that I once had for writing, diminished almost a year ago by rather depressing events. That, and I felt like I could do her story justice by doing this for her, I got confidence in myself for once. :) But enough of that, let's get on with Chapter 1!**

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**Chapter 1: Darkness From a True Abyss.**

Lying dormant under the decaying land in a remote and desolate area of the Earth, lay a horrific evil. One that, before said entombment, could strike fear in any person and drain the courage of those that dared to intentionally cross his path. Few can be twisted to insanity, but he was beyond that. He was the embodiment of greed and chaos. An entity of a pure darkness that could only come from the deepest abyss. Those that miraculously survived an encounter with him, most likely unintentionally, could only make one remark. "He can't be human. He's a monster, that's what he is."

The irony in the comments that they had, was that they were right.

This man was no man, not by any means. He was a vampire, one with enough power to realistically bring about an end to the world. Cabern Messorem was a hedgehog that was imbued with hatred and death. He had the very image of a killer—he possessed a blood red body accompanied by crimson-streaked quills. He wore few garments, save a lengthy hellish red cape on his back, ragged black pants from his constant wandering, gloves that were once a pristine white but became tarnished by the blood of the many victims to his slaughter, and black shoes that were adorned with red buckles. His supernatural strength mercilessly cut down any and all that dared to oppose him. For Cabern, a challenger was his daily meal, only needing to expend the slightest amount of energy in order to slice him open and feast on the red essence that flowed out of the former combatant.

It was hopeless to confront him. It seemed as though he was invincible and could not be defeated by anybody. However, he met his demise when he assaulted and slaughtered a certain village. That mistake would be the catalyst for his imprisonment, at the hands of one vampire hedgehog: Shadow the Hedgehog.

In the past, before he found love in Amy Rose, he resided in that village that Cabern obliterated and scorched to the ground. He was not there when the mass murder ensued, however—he was just in time to see the aftermath. For the past year, he had been searching for a cure to his vampiric state so that he could live in the village with his "sister", an innocent and angelic girl by the name of Maria. She could not possibly be more than the age of thirteen, whereas Shadow was sixteen when he was turned into his eternally vampiric state and wandered into the village. She knew very well that he was a vampire, and that she was not. However, the girl whose locks shined like a radiant light did not care about what he was. She could see in his crimson eyes that he held no hatred or intent to kill her; instead, he only wanted to be friends. Although it initially shocked her to see one who looked like a normal being but was not, she accepted him and allowed the vampire to live with her, much to the other villagers' discomfort. The girl assured them that he wouldn't hurt anybody, and that she would look after him every day.

Shadow considered Maria as a "little sister" of sorts to him. Both of them loved to spend time with each other, whether it be taking walks in the forest, or simply talking to one another. It was a paradise in and of itself, being able to live in such a peaceful place, despite the animosity that the villagers held for the enigmatic black and red hedgehog. They hoped that it would last for eternity. However, the respite was short-lived, as six months later the villagers' unease and distrust of Shadow compelled them to exile him from the village. As a result, he decided to venture to distant lands in order to seek out a cure for his "curse", as he deemed it. The hedgehog promised his sister that he would be back—he longed to spend the rest of his days living with her until the day she died. Maria knew all too well that finding such a remedy would take months, maybe even years. Knowing this left her distraught and hurt, but she still allowed him to leave anyway. After he had begun his departure, the girl yelled to her beloved brother: "Return safely, and soon! I'll be waiting for you!"

Little did Maria know that those words would be the last ones that she would say to him. Little did Shadow know that that moment would be the last time that he would see her alive. Little did the villagers know that a bloodbath would occur in their village by a vampire, the same type of being that they exiled. Little did Cabern know that massacring the villagers and the one person Shadow held dear to him, would be his grave error in judgment.

One year later, Shadow returned to the village having found no cure for his affliction. He arrived at his beloved home only to find it in ruins and aflame. Bodies of women and children were strewn across the ground, their torsos sliced open and their entrails seeping out of their wounds, deprived of blood. The men were left in a much worse condition; their bodies were brutally mutilated and hanging on a stake set in the middle of the village clearing. Lacerations and dried blood were everywhere, skulls were bashed in and bones were snapped in two and bent in angles one would think weren't possible. Their stomachs were completely hollow, missing both organs and the red essence that fueled them. Shadow felt little emotion for the people that had ran him out, save for the slightest pity. However, he was now wracked with worry for his sister Maria. With utmost alacrity, he ran as fast as he could to the house that the two of them shared, praying as hard as he could that he wasn't too late.

He did not arrive in time. The obsidian and red hedgehog slammed the front door open with all of his strength, only to find his sister laying on the ground in a similar condition as the other women. Her flowing blue gown was now in tatters and in a shade of red, and her formerly golden hair was frizzled and torn and stained with blood as well. Both her stomach and neck were sliced open, but no blood oozed out of the open wounds. In a state of shock and horror, he rushed to her side and held her lifeless corpse to her chest, allowing tears to fall onto her dress from his eyes.

Shadow turned her neck to the side slightly to see two noticeable punctures in her skin. They seemed recent, as blood continued to flow out of the wounds in a stream flowing down her neck. It was at this time that he came to the realization that there could be only one thing that could cause this much havoc and bloodshed: vampires. He steeled himself and ran out of the house, dashing towards the hill that led outside of the village. When he reached the leveled top of it, Shadow found the assailant in question, a blood red hedgehog. Sensing that there was one last weakling behind him, he turned around and faced Shadow. What the black hedgehog saw would ingrain his image in his memory.

The murderer's chest was stained in many shades of blood, his fangs still sharp and tinged in the same red hue as well. Puncture wounds and gashes from spears and swords most likely ran up and down his body as his battle scars on top of so many other wounds that he sustained in the past. His red cape was still intact and flowed with the oncoming wind, despite the many holes and tears in the fabric. Shadow knew, at that point, that this hedgehog was the cause of the mindless slaughter of the villagers and his sister.

Shadow prepared himself for battle, trying to stave off the pure rage he held at his enemy. Cabern smirked at his foolhardy brethren's futile attempt at revenge. He released the serrated claws that he used to kill Maria and immediately charged at Shadow head-on. Both sides continued to exchange blows for hours, but Shadow continued to be gradually pushed back by Cabern. Eventually, he charged his fist with hellish energy and sent it directly into Shadow's torso, knocking him to the ground with almost no resistance left within his body.

Cabern looked upon his fallen and crippled enemy with a snide expression, slowly approaching him for the coup de grace. Shadow knew that he was finished; he was in no condition to fight anymore. As a claw was pointed directly at his heart, his mind overflowed with thoughts of revenge, and of Maria. He felt his rage boil over—however, this time he allowed it to happen, transforming him into a creature of pure chaos. Cabern withdrew his appendage as the young hedgehog suddenly doubled, then tripled in size. The crimson streaks on his quills were replaced by jet black, and his eyes were a complete red. Claws that could rend the earth and fangs able to pierce any surface appeared as well. However, the most terrifying attribute of all lay in his right arm, which could phase out and instead of a claw, a grotesque scythe replaced it, emanating a blood red aura. (**A/N: Consult the Reaper from "The 3****rd**** Birthday for an approximate image of the scythe. xD)**

Even the battle-hardened vampire trembled in fear of this monstrosity, yet he did not reveal his fear in his face and braced himself for Shadow's attack. He detracted his right claw once more and charged directly at him, only to watch him spontaneously teleport behind him and deliver a crushing roundhouse kick to the back of his head, sending him flying into the only tree that stood on the hill. The chaotic being then phased through space once more to suppress him on the ground with a bone-shattering stomp on his chest. Cabern himself knew when he was bested, despite the fact that he had never been this close to the brink of death before, save the moment he was painfully turned into the monster that he was today. He prepared himself to meet Death's sweet embrace, only to find the weight of his opponent's foot be relieved from his chest. The red hedgehog mustered enough strength to lift his head and watch as Shadow spawned a purple gem in his left hand.

While Shadow traveled the world in his failed endeavor to search for a cure, he had learned a sealing spell that would suppress an evil being for a millennium while wandering in a remote mountain chain. He knew that the seal would wear off in due time, but this would ensure that Cabern would not be able to commit any more acts of murder. The blood red hedgehog could only watch helplessly as Shadow uttered two words from his mouth and in an instant, he was encased in an invincible and impenetrable crystal prism. Shadow then gripped the jewel in his right hand and thrust both into the ground. The earth shook violently for a few moments—when the rumbling subsided, a chasm appeared in the ground that reached the very depths of the malice in Cabern's withered heart. As he accepted his fate to be sealed within the earth, he screamed at Shadow:

"**YOU WILL NEVER SEE THE LAST OF ME, SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG! I WILL ESCAPE FROM THIS PRISON AND WHEN I DO, I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND SLAUGHTER YOU ALONG WITH EVERYBODY THAT YOU HOLD DEAR!**"

Shadow watched as the earth reassembled, leaving no trace of Cabern's imprisonment. His last words echoed in his mind, a burning scar within his own head. He turned his back to face the village, still ablaze and emitting smoke into the air. The black hedgehog receded back into his normal form, crimson streaks and all, and shed one last tear for the sister that he lost. The one person that treated him like a normal person. The one person that didn't call him a monster. The one person that loved him like nobody had before…if anybody did in the past. Before departing again to wander the world, he buried her as best he could on the same hill, adjacent to the tree that was snapped in half in his fight with Cabern. Once he finished, he set out again, never to be seen in public for centuries.

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***Cracks knuckles, shakes off the dust and cobwebs* Ah…that's one way to start off a story, isn't it? Let me know what you think of this first chapter and review, I want to see if you readers think I've started this off right. Once two chapters of this are out, I think I will devote my time to the long awaited Chapter 4 to Art of War & Love that I started but then I couldn't bring myself to finish it for the longest time. But after that, it's back to two more chapters of this, I think that's how I'll make this work. Got nothing better to do during summer anyway, really. X3  
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**Now, I know some of you might be bothered by the changes and how I write. I promise you, I'll try to preserve the original spirit of her story as best as I can. Don't worry, once dialogue is here it'll be more simplistic/streamlined, as I can't make talking complicated, this is present day-like stuff and in high school/college too y'know. xD Here's to you, aliciathewolf45, I hope I've done an okay job with this beginning. :)  
**

**—JoxhnXXIII, the Fallen Sageblade**


	2. First World Problems--Prom

**Well, I do believe it's time for me to get started on Chapter 2. Now, dialogue is one of the main things that I'll keep the same, for the sake of sticking to the original, in a sense. That, and it's amazing anyways, I don't think I can alter anything with it really. :)**** Now then, I believe it's time to get started, so shall we?**

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**Chapter 2: First World Problems—Prom.**

"AUGH!" A rosy pink hedgehog sat up in bed with shock written across her face, cold sweat rolling down her frigid cheeks. She panted and breathed out a sigh of relief, glad to know that she only had a horrific nightmare. Or was it really just that? The girl placed a hand on her forehead in an attempt to keep calm, as well as to try and contemplate what exactly was that she experienced. "What…what was that…that dream…?" She asked herself. The hedgehog wouldn't have time to think for long, as a summons from downstairs boomed, the sound bouncing off of multiple walls.

"Amy! Get up, otherwise you'll be late for school!" Amy immediately jumped out of her bed and rushed to the door to swing it open and call out in a hurried tone, "I'm up! I'm almost done getting ready!"

Things hadn't changed much, even after what transpired one year ago in that vampire assault. Amy's boyfriend, Shadow the Hedgehog, was still the very same vampire with powers akin to a devil and a promise—no, a vow—to defend Amy at all costs, even if it forced him to forfeit his life and join those damned in Hell. The very same one that sacrificed half of his life in order to save hers, his blood colored rose.

Recalling the days of when the terror had occurred, she was ironically happy that it did happen. Had Scourge and his group of minions never shown up to raise chaos, she wouldn't have found happiness with the one that she loved. It wasn't only her that found love; her closest friends had discovered the same during that crisis as well. Blaze and Alicia had Silver and Espio, respectively, who were vampires like Shadow. The silver hedgehog and purple chameleon despised the thought of their lovers being harmed or left brokenhearted, so they refused to be separated from their girls even in the darkest of times. Similarly, Cream the Rabbit left with her beloved twin-tailed golden fox to study abroad with him. 'Twas a sad moment when they departed on a cruise ship headed for a foreign place known as "Japan", but they all knew that she would be happy with the one she loved—and that Tails would cherish her.

Amy also made two more friends (again, vampires, but honestly what else was new?) that proved valuable in helping the guys save the girls from a gruesome fate and were able to live happily together with them. Rosalina remained the same chipper girl that loved to play and have fun, whereas Star was most likely the sweetest person in existence. The two of them stood with Amy, Blaze, and Alicia through anything, their bond being that of a spider web. Or Braum's unbreakable shield.

In retrospect, her life wouldn't be this happy had those horrible events not occurred. Amy smiled to herself at this fact and then proceeded to bolt into her closet and grab a set of clothes for her to wear, setting the garments on her sink while she jumped into the shower. Twenty minutes later, she emerged out of the steaming box, her quills in disarray from the moisture. She then began dressing herself very quickly, emerging from the bathroom in a rather adorable outfit. The pink hedgehog donned an aqua blue shirt with angel wings on the front as well as a halo at the top to accompany them, but in contrast it had devil wings on the back side. It felt fitting for her, considering that she was angelic on the outside, and yet somewhat demonic inside. The shirt was joined with long dark blue jeans as well as pink and white sneakers, just to complete the cute sort of appearance. Amy quickly combed her long quills so they wouldn't look as though she had been part of a horror movie, then grabbed her backpack from the edge of her bed and made her way downstairs to where breakfast was.

When she arrived at the bottom of the stairs, she could smell the distinguishable scent of delicious eggs, bacon, and toast. Amy walked into the kitchen to see both of her loving parents sitting at a table together eating while her father read the newspaper and her mother scanned several ads for creating a shopping list.

"Good morning!" Amy chirped with a large grin on her face.

The two looked up from their reading. "Good morning, dear," her mother Carla replied.

"How's my little princess this morning?" her father Josh inquired.

Amy smiled to her father and walked over to her chair and sat down to eat. "Tired, but pretty good!" she replied while preparing her plate.

Carla took notice of how chipper and happy her daughter was and instantaneously noticed what was going on with her. "Amy, have you been thinking of something?" she joked crossing her arms and placing them on the table, wearing a playful smirk on her face.

"Uh…well…" Amy stuttered picking up a stack of eggs with her fork, "…prom is coming up and…well…"

"You can't wait 'til he asks you, huh?"

The pink hedgehog blushed a furious shade of red, knowing exactly who her mother was mentioning. She put her fork down hard and glared at her mother, "MOM! He…he asked me…well…sorta…" she stuttered, knowing all too well that he hadn't yet.

Josh set the newspaper down gently and looked at his daughter with a stern look in his eyes. "I won't stand for having some guy that I barely know make out with my little girl!" he exclaimed in protest, crossing his arms in a similar fashion as Carla.

"Dad! Shadow isn't that type of guy who only wants me just to make out! He loves me for me!"

"I still don't want him near my little princess…" he mumbled, realizing there was little reason to argue any further.

Carla sighed and looked at Amy sweetly. "He hasn't asked yet, has he?" she asked in a polite tone.

Amy shook her head slowly in slight sadness. "No…I guess…he doesn't want to go with me…" she mumbled, looking down and refusing to eat more from her barely touched plate.

With a small chuckle, Carla walked over to her daughter and wrapped her arms around her. "He will, dear, he will. Just give him some time," she whispered while kissing her head.

The pink hedgehog smiled and returned the hug. Their embrace was soon interrupted by the door bell ringing, causing Carla to have to detach from Amy in order to open said door. She swung it wide open to reveal two girls standing in front of her, both of them holding books and backpacks in one hand. One was a purple cat with long hair pulled into a tight ponytail. Her golden eyes gleamed with happiness, the same as her smile. She wore a faded purple shirt with a small pink heart on the chest area, along with a white fluffy jacket. In addition, she also had white pants on as well as red and white boots. The other was a brown angel wolf with blond hair that almost passed her shoulders and sapphire eyes that twinkled with anticipation. She wore a crimson shirt that had a logo which said, "Loves me, loves me not!" on it, and a white and red mini skirt to go with the look. She also had on black pants as well as red and obsidian black shoes.

The cat smiled at Carla and bowed politely, "Good morning, Mrs. Rose," she greeted nicely.

The wolf did the same and nodded, "Morning, Aunty Carla," she said playfully.

Carla chuckled in amusement and nodded back. "Good morning to both of you, Blaze and Alicia," she replied while getting hugged by the both of them. She then turned to the kitchen where Amy was attempting to set a record in devouring breakfast before school. "Amy! Your friends are here!"

"Huh!? Already!?" Amy shouted stuffing a whole stack of bacon and eggs in her mouth and immediately descending to the door. "Ok! I'm ready, let's go!" she exclaimed, her voice somewhat muffled as a result of the mass amount of food that was inside of her mouth.

Alicia cringed slightly and looked away with a playful face of disgust. "Ames…please learn to chew with your mouth closed…or at least attempt to…" she told her.

Amy glared at the wolf and swallowed the food in her mouth in one gulp, nearly causing her to choke. It was clear that she would never win a hot dog eating contest in her life. "Ok…let's go!" she said, walking out the door.

"Just make sure that you don't die or go into a coma on us!" Blaze urged, following her hyperactive friend with Alicia not far behind.

"Come home safely, Amy!" Carla called out before closing the door and leaving the three girls to themselves.

The pink hedgehog sighed and smiled sweetly. "Now that we're here, how about we go surprise the others?" she asked, getting nods of agreement from the both of them. All three of them desperately wanted to see their friends, and especially their boyfriends.

"Hopefully Silver won't be too surprised, unlike last time…" Blaze giggled, walking down the sidewalk with the other two following suit only feet behind her.

Alicia sighed and gazed up at the clear blue sky. "I wonder what Espio has planned for us tomorrow?" she asked herself, but her voice control failed to intervene and so Blaze and Amy could hear her.

"Oh! Espio is taking you out?" Amy asked, nudging her friend on the elbow. And then it dawned on her, after contemplating exactly how long it had been since Alicia and Espio became an item. "Wait a second; I forgot that it's your one year anniversary! But wait…I thought you hated that type of stuff?"

"Yeah…I don't like them, but Espio thought that this could help our relationship grow even more, since he hasn't had a lover in a very long time. But hey, who cares, he's sweet anyways!"

Blaze rolled her eyes at Alicia, and then looked to Amy in confusion. "What about Shadow? Prom is coming up soon and Silver and Espio have already asked us. Hasn't he asked you yet?" she asked her.

Amy kept her gaze on the ground as she walked and sighed underneath her breath. "Well…no…he hasn't yet…but…I'm hoping he does soon." she replied with a weak smile.

The angel wolf snaked an arm around her shoulders and brought her into a close friendly hug. "It's okay, Ames. Knowing Shadow, he might have some cool way to ask ya. After all, this is prom we're talking about." she joked.

Amy giggled along with Blaze as they walked down the sidewalk en route to their destination.

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**Meanwhile…**

A black and red hedgehog gazed outside his window, having paced back and forth in his room for hours on end. His expression screamed frustration, as he only had one thing on his mind.

_How in hell am I going to ask Amy to prom?..._

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**Ah, I couldn't resist adding in that last short section, amuses me a bit. I've been thinking of a potential new fanfic for myself, but I'll just keep it at just that, an idea. Before I don't finish anything all over again...but if somebody really wants to know, a reference to the fandom is lying in plain sight somewhere in this chapter. :3 **

**So, I'd go back to finishing the chapter that I've kept in the works for my own story for a year, but I think I'll keep going with this. Mainly because I can actually update every week or even faster than that with this. xD It'll be hard for me to do this, romance is not something I want to do right now...but I'll get through it. Read and review, it'd make me a happy guy, more than I have been for the past week. *weak smile***

**This chapter was written while listening to: Just Be Friends (JoyDreamer's English Cover, Piano ver.) watch?v=a51vz1pDqCU&index=8&list=FLRnBKalawbb_8OS-ocMxPaw**

**-JoxhnXXIII, the Fallen Sageblade  
**


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